How We Came to Be
by Kristen the homicidal maniac
Summary: It was the best of times and the worst of times. Times we would remember for the rest of our lives. A collection of RyouXIchigo short stories.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Howdy y'all. Now, for a while, I've been trying out writing very short, one-chapter stories. This collection will include multiple different pairings. Mostly though, my favorite, Ryou and Ichigo. But I will manage to throw in there some Kish and Ichigo and Lettuce and Ryou. Mint and Masaya. Stuff like that. Any requests are welcome! I hope to make multiple short stories for this new series of Tokyo Mew Mew! Enjoy!

P.S.: first story, not really any point. It's just to start everything off.

**Summary: It was the best of times and the worst of times. Times we would remember for the rest of our lives. A collection of short stories with most RXI pairings but they can vary on request. Includes romance, angst, humor, horror, and drama. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMM.

* * *

**…_Story Number One… _How We Came To Be

It was during the early summer as June came along and school was just getting ready for the finals. I could recall the smell of fresh cut green grass and the warm breeze that never seemed to fail us during those early days. It was the day I began to really start seeing Ryou serious for the first time.

Work was work and it never ceased to amaze me how often I hated going. It cut into my social life and I was beginning to find it a drag. Yeah, it was perfect when I was at the age of twelve and the Mew Mew team was still fighting strong but as I hit the age of seventeen I wanted nothing more than to go running down to the mall with my friends.

What could I say? I was the normal teenager wanting to be with friends.

Then again, those friends had never really changed since I was at that age of twelve. The Mew Mew team really stuck us all together like glue, even through the worst of times and we still couldn't find ourselves straying too far away from each other. I recalled Keiichiro saying something like it was the gene bond that we had in common but it always felt so much stronger than that.

We all did go to different schools still, the varying ages between us all a reason. The only time we really did see each other was during work and the days we all took off together. So really, I couldn't quit the Mew Mew Café and there was no way in hell I was going to get fired. Never. I wouldn't allow Shirogane to do that to me, or any of us for that matter.

But I could see it in Ryou's eyes as the years dragged on that he had something planning in his little mind. I was oblivious most of the time so I really didn't understand it until we were alone.

I stood there, like every afternoon as the Mew Mew Café closed for the day, brunch and lunch already come and gone, by the sink, wasting my afternoon cleaning dishes. The other girls had finished the shifts and we said our goodbyes as usual, wishing one another good luck on our finals that were coming by oh so soon. I, on the other hand, had yet to finish bussing tables or cleaning dishes so I had to stay behind.

My late shifts had never stopped me from studying, I had learned over the years, so I propped my calculus book up over the sink on a nifty little shelf Keiichiro had built especially for an occasion like this and read over the problems as I scrubbed dishes. I mumbled the problems to myself and squinted, wishing the words were bigger but made do with what I could.

It was then that I heard him enter like every other night and I tensed slightly, my back straightening as I acted like I wasn't slacking off. His voice was as smooth as cat's fur, which would have been funny a few years back but not any longer, "Ichigo." His deep voice greeted, causing me to grin a little.

"Ryou." I greeted back. Every other night, this went on. He would come in and greet me like that and then stay the rest of the night and talk with me, causing me to come home late past the towns' curfew.

It never got past that. It always stayed neutral and we always just talked to each other like good friends. Though we always acted like we were fighting in front of the others, we really didn't feel that way on the inside. I didn't even know what Ryou had felt on the inside until a night a month back. We were on our usual conversation, which had started off with how the day went, and I happened to complain that he was so much more different with me when in front of everyone else.

His cheeks flushed slightly and he turned away, mumbling something to himself I couldn't catch. I ignored this and continued to clean my dishes until he turned back around and sighed. I smirked up at him, cocking an eyebrow without haste. I had loved to tease Ryou whenever I had the chance and the moment seemed perfect to pick on him.

Then he came clean.

It was the first time I had ever really heard Ryou say something so nice to me that it made my heart swell. He said it quietly, almost shyly, like he couldn't say it to anyone else. I could remember the words clearly if the conversation had happened just minutes before. _"I don't really feel like that, Ichigo."_ His words were so soft in my mind that I had to sigh if they weighed heavily down on my chest.

_"I don't really think that you're an idiot, or stupid, or an overall moron like I say in front of everyone else. But sometimes I can't help but say something that makes you so flustered that you sulk away, annoyed."_ I grinned, he knew me so well. That was the night that I confessed that I didn't really hate him like I said I did and that I would play along with him that I did if it bothered him if people or our friends knew he didn't really hate me.

He seemed almost satisfied with that answer and our relationship grew stronger.

But this night seemed to have a little bit of a different vibe that I actually had to turn around and look at Ryou as he walked up behind me. His face was a little pale though his cheeks were slightly pink and I smirked, trying to think of a tease that would lighten the already knowing bad mood. "Ryou," I made my tone light, "have you been looking at yourself in the mirror recently?" I laughed. He didn't. He didn't do anything for that matter, just continued to walk up to me.

"Are you really hurt?" I asked more sympathetically then surprised. It wasn't just once in a blue moon that I actually got an insult in that kicked him below the belt. But, it wasn't usual enough that he let it kick him below the belt. He always had some blow back that caused me to lower my head in shame and my legs to buckle so that I fell to the floor in agony and defeat.

But I didn't want him to seriously get hurt by what I said, I had started looking forward to the conversations we had while I cleaned and finished my shift. I loved to hear what Ryou had to talk about and the days that Mint stayed behind to talk with me, which was on rare occasion since she's constantly busy, I wished that she would leave so I could talk with him. I knew that was mean, but it was true. Mint was my best friend and we usually talked via cell phones, text messages, instant messaging, email, and work of course. So it wasn't like we were deprived of talking to each other.

It was silent in the room for a moment and I started to become tense and unsettled so I shifted nervously as I scrubbed the dishes. After the moment passed and I started to become comfortable with the quiet, I glanced back up at my calculus book and read over more problems, calculating them silently in my head. It wasn't until I took my hands out of the water to reach up and turn the page in my book that Ryou said something.

"Finals?" he asked, his voice a little uneasy.

I was so startled by his voice from not hearing it immediately that I jumped, gasping quietly. I exhaled with a sigh, "Yeah." I answered and looked at the palm of my hand, wincing at their pruned tips. _"Bleah,"_ I thought, a little grossed out, _"Epithelial skin soaks up water and that is how come they wrinkle."_ I grinned, remembering anatomy. I would pass that final if I just continued to study and remember.

"When does it come up?" he asked again but his voice had seemed to return back to normal.

"Like in the next week." I answered again and dried my hands with a towel. I picked up a wet yet clean dish and started to dry that as well. Ryou picked up another towel and then a dish and started helping me dry dishes. This wasn't new either. Ryou had started helping me with the dishes last month and though I was grateful for his help, I never got out of character to leave as soon as we were done, complaining that I was tired and hated work. This caused us to have shorter and shorter conversations.

"Oh." Ryou mumbled as he set the dried dish town.

"Okay you're usually a bad liar," I started, making Ryou look at me funny, "so don't lie, what's wrong?" I asked and looked at him in the face.

"What do you mean?" he cocked an eyebrow, which always made my heart flutter. I love that expression he gave for something odd reason.

"You're all quiet and giving off a strange vibe." I said and dried the next dish, setting it down on the stack of dry dishes. "What's on your mind?"

Ryou didn't talk for another minute so I sighed and finished my dishes, putting the rag down with them when I was done. He continued on his small stack of plates as I began to put away the silverware. I was setting the forks on top of each other when he finally decided to speak again. He was being such a drag today that I wasn't sure if I really wanted him to be around with me.

Well, that was a lie; I always wanted to be near him. He loosened me up a little.

"I've been thinking," he started.

"I've noticed." I interrupted and he sent me an angry look so I shut up.

"There's been a lot on my mind recently." He sighed and set down the plate he was holding. I stopped putting the forks away just because I couldn't hear his soft voice over the clang of the silverware. I swallowed and looked at him then grinned.

"You can tell me Ryou." I said happily and he gave a smug look.

"I know," he replied and scratched the back of his head, "we usually don't keep that much stuff from each other since we started talking."

"That's true."

"But," he paused, "I don't know _if_ I can tell _you_ this." He glanced up at me, his expression changing slightly.

"What?" I was sort of taken aback and insulted at the same time. I leaned against the counter for a bit of support, and glared at Ryou, "What's that supposed to mean?" I hissed slightly.

Ryou sighed again, "Ichigo it's nothing personal-."

"Sure feels like that." I interrupted and looked away, making my glare stray to the kitchen oven.

"Don't be like that." He stepped towards me and I stubbornly stepped away from him.

"I'm going to be like that," I grumbled, "Don't say things like you have something on your mind but you can't tell me. That's so annoying." Though it was true. I hated it when Mint had something really big on mind and she would never tell me. It was like a secret you couldn't get in on. Or it was about you and it drove you up the wall that you didn't know. Even Pudding did that to me too many times.

"I don't know how you'll react to what I tell you." He said and lowered his gaze to the black and white checkered tile. Through the years, Ryou had never made an attempt to redesign the Mew Mew Café so the black and white seventies looking tile had stayed. It never failed to complement the pink walls though.

"Then tell me and we'll see." I said and took Ryou's hand, "I can take you seriously." I promised with a grin.

Ryou chuckled softly and took my hand back in his, "I don't think you can." He smirked and I smiled wider, my cheeks reddening.

"I think I can." I laughed and pulled my hand away from his, missing their warmth immediately.

He leaned against the counter and shut his eyes softly, leaning back his head tiredly. "Okay, lets see how you take this then." He began.

I smiled, waiting patiently. I wasn't completely oblivious to everything. I knew as soon as he said that he wanted to tell me something but couldn't, that it was about me. This was a confession of deeper feelings. I had experienced the same situation a few times at school with other boys.

"I think you need to work harder." He finally said. I almost started cracking up. Okay, I was wrong. But that didn't stop the fact that my heart dropped and my face fell. I could feel myself gawk and I stood up straight, pulling down the hem of my uniform.

"Well," I started, my voice becoming stern and hard as a rock, "Maybe if you didn't _distract_ me, I would get done faster and more often." I spat the words a bit.

The expression on his face looked as if he hadn't finished saying something but the defense came anyways, "_I _distract _you_?" he raised his voice a bit.

"You come in every night and talk to me. You distract me beyond belief." I laughed without humor.

"I _help_ you!" he looked appalled.

"You help with nothing you asshole." I spat and pulled off my apron, tossing it on the ground. I was so angry I was tempted to stamp my foot like pissed off girls do. "You come in every night and just talk to me and act like there's a deeper friendship between the two of us. But I guess I was wrong, you just acted like you were nice to me so you could get me to work more often and later."

Ryou opened his mouth to protest but what I said before he could even find the words caused him to shut his mouth immediately.

"I quit, Ryou." I was so overly dramatic it wasn't even funny.

If I thought back on when I was twelve I always wondered how come I was such a crybaby and overly dramatic little girl. I remembered how often I pulled the same stunt with Masaya.

Ah Masaya, our relationship lasted until I was about fourteen and he moved far, far away. We never spoke to each other again. He was a good boyfriend. The one you can depend on as a best friend and a boy friend. The one that would respect your moral values. The one that would go shopping with you _and_ help you choose a great outfit. The one that could enjoy good literature and play sports. The one that had time for you and his one million friends. The perfect boyfriend right? In my mind, for the longest time I thought of him as one of the best friends I could ever have. That and he was gay.

I angrily walked out of the room but before I could even get to the door Ryou caught my arm, tugging me back.

"You're so overly dramatic." He laughed and I glowered at him, not really finding humor in the situation, "Really Ichigo, you're just going to run off like that? You haven't changed since you were twelve." He rolled his eyes and I tugged my hand away, folding my arms over my chest with a huff of annoyance.

"You're seventeen," he informed me as if I didn't know, "finish listening to me next time alright?"

I continued to glower up at Ryou and he smirked, lightly running his fingers down my cheek, "Will you?" he asked.

"Will I what?" I grumbled.

"Will you work harder?" he locked his eyes on my mine and I quickly looked away with a short humorless laugh.

"Are you joking?" I gave a revolted look and he continued to grin.

"I want you to work harder and longer," he admitted, "so I can continue talking with you like we usually do at night."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh yeah sure Ryou. Work longer is understandable but harder? Come on." I loosened up a bit and smiled a little. He chuckled softly and I felt little shivers run down my arms.

"If you work harder then maybe you'll get too tired and I can disorientate you enough to ask if you'd go out with me?" He smiled a little side smile and I grinned, rolling my eyes again

"Yeah that could work. Or you can ask me straight out while I'm studying for finals. Thanks for another distraction." I added.

He smiled and I smiled back. That was the night we learned how we came to be.

… _the end…

* * *

_A/N: okay, this is the first story. There really isn't a point to it. It's just to start everything off. I look forward to hearing your reviews and requests if any. I won't update if there aren't more than two reviews, just on the off chance no one is interested. I'm back and I'm ready to write!

**The next story, probably another romance before I bring on the tears!**


	2. Chocolate Covered FruitStory Two

A/N: Ah, I was a little disappointed with the feedback I got on the first chapter. Though I appreciated all the reviews I got from everyone. Thanks so much! Please read my ending authors note. Thanks. Anyways onto the story…

**Warning: This chapter may contain some mature content including alcohol. If you do not wish to read anything with this content please do not. Thank you.**

_Overview: (Ryou and Ichigo chapter) Ichigo is becoming quite the rebellious girl at the age of eighteen. With her new boyfriend and bad attitude it will take a lot for her to return the normal girl she at one time was. Who can help her?_

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMM and I think Sugar Factory is a real club so that too.

* * *

**…_Story Two… Chocolate Covered Fruit_

Sugar Factory was a well-known club that had opened with a bang. People were so ecstatic about the new club they didn't miss going the first night. It had been a while since our town had even a little bit of excitement about anything that people buzzed for almost a whole month on the event. Including me.

I didn't miss the opportunity to go when my boyfriend invited me that Friday afternoon, the opening day. I had squealed with excitement and went straight home after that to get ready. I called Mint up immediately and told her the good news. She didn't seem as thrilled as I was and I just rolled my eyes at her envy. It had been the first time I had gotten something that Mint hadn't. Besides, me being eighteen gave me quite the advantage since she couldn't get in at the age of sixteen.

So I stood in the bathroom the rest of the afternoon, applying makeup over and over again. Swearing small curses under my breath, I tried redoing my eyeliner one more time. "Why do you keep doing that?" I heard my mother ask as I rubbed out the light blue eyeliner.

"Doing what?" I asked, not startled by her voice. I had gotten used to her random appearances over the years and it took a lot for her to scare me.

"You keep reapplying that eyeliner." She sighed, age wearing her down. Though she had gotten older, she had never changed. She was still the mom I loved with all my heart, the mom that was overly happy constantly, and the mom that helped me cook anything. She would always be that way, till the end of time.

But she would always be a _mom_.

"I'm going to Masaya's house." I lied. I broke up with Masaya three years ago to date another boy. Zakuro said I was going through a rebellious stage and I didn't quite understand what she meant. A rebellious stage? I was not a rebellious person. But, she said people change when they hit their teens and she said she guessed I hit it three years ago when I broke up with Masaya. Like I cared.

"Oh," my mom mumbled, "you should invite that boy over more often." She brightened up a bit and I turned to grin at her. I had gotten the eyeliner on perfect.

"Oh yeah, sure mom." I started on the purple eye shadow, "Just as soon as he gets _un_grounded." That was another lie. He never got grounded _ever_ but I gave a pretty good excuse on how he did. And it was understandable, coming from strict parents and a straight A student. He failed a class. Oh my gawd right? Yeah.

"He's been grounded for an awful long time." She said softly and glanced out the window of the bathroom. I blinked as I finished up my makeup then held up the strands of red hair that hung loosely around my shoulders. I grabbed a brush and the curling iron that had been heating for over an hour, wondering if I should curl my hair into thick curls.

"Well you know strict parents." I replied and started curling the strands of my hair into the thick curls. She sighed again and picked up the dirty laundry on the bathroom floor. As she turned to leave the bathroom, she paused.

"Ichigo have you gotten a job yet?" she asked and I groaned annoyed, rolling my eyes. For the past year, I hadn't had a job since working in a clothing department store in the mall not too far away from the Sugar Factory. The company went out of business and I didn't have a job after that. It had been a while since I had considered looking for another. Then there was the Mew Mew Café. I had not gone near that place in over three years as well. I quit after the break up with Masaya; Pudding and Lettuce could never look at me the same. I hadn't talked to them either since the break up.

Zakuro and Mint were the only ones who had actually stayed my friends since that time. Ryou and Keiichiro weren't quite the same after that either. Ryou had come by a few times to ask me to come back to the small restaurant and had failed. Keiichiro had also made a few attempts but told me he respected my decisions after I told him that I had moved on. Though I would never forget the hurt I saw in their eyes. As if I were family that they had lost. Ryou was the worse.

It was true that there were feelings toward him while I was young, that's what made it difficult for me to leave the Mew Mew Café. I had always something for him that I thought he never ever saw, even while I was dating Masaya. I wished he did. So many nights I stayed up like a love struck schoolgirl and wished he saw me the way I saw him. I would write my first name with his last name in my diary and kiss the picture I had of him, giggling like I was high on crack.

Then I gave up my stupid fantasy and moved on. First I broke up with Masaya, who took it worse than I thought he would. It took weeks until the phone calls on my cell phone stopped. He even switched out of classes that we had together. Second, I quit my job with Ryou and the Mew Mew team. They took it bad also. Third I met Haru. He preferred it when I called him by his lame, made up name, Ace. I never called him that. Haru was the bad boyfriend on so many levels, in looks and attitude both.

Haru rode the bad boy motorcycle he stole, he had the black bad boy clothing, he always smoked in front of the school like a bad boy, and he always ditched class. A great pick right? I didn't choose him. He chose me. Which brings up how we met.

He tried stealing from the clothing department store I worked in on a day I really didn't feel like putting up with anyone's crap. He barged into the store with a couple of his buddies and tried to make it out like it was a robbery. He had the fake gun and mask and everything. I was truly terrified…for five minutes.

It was after he dropped the gun on accident and it broke in half that I shoved him out of my way to go call security.

He ended up begging me to not do anything and I kicked him and he friends out of the store and pretended that it never happened. He came by the next day to apologize and we had been going out ever since. He transferred to my school the next year like we were really going to act like a couple in front of everyone. I avoided him like the plague for the first few weeks then I loosened up and we started hanging out. Masaya had never given me such dirty looks in all my life after he saw us.

"I'm working on it mom." I promised. She nodded then walked away as I finished tinkering with my hair. I sprayed the thick curled strands with hairspray and glanced over to watch my mom stare up at a picture of dad still hanging on the hallway wall.

This time I sighed. She may have been my happy-go-lucky mom but she would never be the same without dad. He had died last year in a car accident and I think I was the one who took it harder than her. I never got over the fact that he was gone and I probably never would. But I always caught mom glancing up a picture of dad and her face just twisted into something I never saw in my entire life.

I felt my chest squeeze and I was tempted to stay home for the night and skip going to the Sugar Factory with Haru.

"Mom?" I asked and stepped out of the bathroom towards her. She glanced over and me and smiled.

"Hurry to Masaya's honey." She laughed a little, "I don't want you to keep him waiting." I frowned and nodded, leaving to walk down the hall to my bedroom.

I had settled with simple white spaghetti strap shirt and pair of jeans by the time I was done dressing. It didn't take long after I didn't feel so thrilled going to the Sugar Factory and leaving my mom home alone to stare at dads' old photos. I threw on a black jacket and grabbed my cell phone, shoving it deep into my back pocket. Taking my keys from their usual place on the kitchen counter, I wished my mom goodnight hesitantly and left the house.

Haru stared at me from across the street and I grinned and waved. He was leaning up against his old black motorcycle, smoking a cigarette. He grinned and nodded at me as I approached.

"Hey." He greeted as he finished the last breath of his cigarette and tossed it on the sidewalk. That had always bothered me a little. I never really cared that he smoked but it bothered me when he didn't just throw the cigarette butt away. He always had to toss it in my neighbors yard when he waited for me.

"Hi." I replied and folded my arms across my chest.

"You ready for this club thing?" he asked, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Like always." I rolled my eyes, "Which makes me wonder why you're actually going to it. You hate clubs and gatherings of teenagers and that type of crap."

He shrugged, "They're serving booze. Not much of an opportunity to pass up if you ask me."

I laughed and shook my head, which made him grin.

"Well let's just get this over with." He finally said and tossed me a helmet from his motorcycle. I rolled my eyes as I caught the helmet then threw it back to him. I pointed my thumb over my shoulder towards the small red car parked in front of my house and gave an annoyed look.

"What?" he asked as he caught the helmet.

"You've dated me long enough to know what I won't ride on your damn motorcycle when I've actually put up an effort with my hair and makeup." I glowered slightly. He rolled his eyes this time then sighed.

"Fine." He surrendered, "Does your mom know yet that we're going out? If it rains I don't want my bike to get wet."

"And if you were to drive us there on your motorcycle what makes you think it wont get wet?" I twisted my head slightly to the side and smiled tauntingly.

He grumbled something and pulled his bike under the tree a house down then took the keys out. I smiled victoriously and skipped over to my car.

If there was one thing I would never do, it was tell my mom that I was dating Haru. I would never hurt her in that way. I knew the second she would see him, she would either cry or have a stroke. There was just no possible way I could hurt her like that, not after dad died. It would break her. She would just crumble like an old brick wall and I loved her way too much to know that that would happen. I would lie to her just to keep her safe. Even if it did hurt Haru, I didn't like him enough that I would hurt my mom for him. Never.

As Haru buckled in his seatbelt he looked over at me. I ignored his gaze as I put the car in drive and pulled out of the driveway. He continued to stare at me until we were about half way to Sugar Factory. I glared at the windshield and swore under my breath, "What?" I raised my voice.

"Nothing." He looked away. What a freaking liar. Ryou would never lie and when he did it wasn't the full truth. I sped up as I drove and leaned a little over my wheel.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" I asked and made a sharp left turn. I was never very good at making turns.

"You just," he paused, "Look nice. It's different." He added to the ending. For a moment I blushed at being complimented then I caught the ending of his words and scowled.

"_It's different_?" I glanced over at him and slowed down the car, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Well," he leaned back in his seat, "You usually don't dress to impress if you catch my drift." He cocked and eyebrow at me with a strange grin.

"Dress to impress?" I titled my head, "Are you saying I look like a…a _skank_ half the time?" I was almost appalled, there was never a day of my life as I left my house that I thought I looked sleazy. I swallowed back the gross feeling that began to rise in the pit of my stomach as I pulled into the Sugar Factory's crowded parking lot.

"You don't dress like a slut but just sometimes your clothes sort of look sluttish." He looked out the window at some people in rave costumes. That redundant bastard!

"You're an idiot Haru." I scoffed as I pulled into a parking space next to the raver car, "You sound just so stupid." I shook my head angrily.

He shrugged, "Hey, you asked."

"I did not!" I laughed, not believing what he was saying, "I asked if I looked like a skank you said I dressed 'sluttish'." I made air quotes with my fingers, which he immediately started laughing at. I felt my face flush a deep red before I grumbled angrily to myself and turned off the car.

"Ichigo," he laughed then took a deep breath, "let's just say you make the school uniform look like a porn star costume." He smirked and I leaned over my seat towards him to smirk back. After a second of giving him the smug look, I raised my hand and smacked him across the face.

"If I know one thing for sure, it's that my mother would never let me leave the house looking like a porn star." I said calmly, "I wear my uniform like any girl. Excuse me for hanging out with you during school." I rolled my eyes and opened my car door.

Haru touched his cheek lightly as I opened my door and I heard him cuss a few words before he got out.

"I guess I deserved that." He said when he got out of the car, straightening his black jacket as he did so. I ignored him and locked my car, scratching the side of my head.

"Let's just go. We might as well just go drink for a little while before we go home." I lied slightly about the drinking part. I was never really into drinking or smoking. It just wasn't my cup of tea as much as it was for Haru. He had been doing it all since before we were dating and even as he tried to get me to try it, I never could smoke right. I ended up hacking up a lung before I got the pleasure of it. It was the same with drinking as well. After a cup of alcohol I was either sick to my stomach and the toilet was my best friend the rest of the night or I was dead on the floor with a headache.

Like I said, not my cup of tea, it didn't float my boat, rock my socks, or tickle my fancy. Never have. Never will.

Haru shrugged and he walked up the front of the club where hundreds of people stood in line to get in. He glanced around then walked up the front of the line where he leaned into one of bouncers or security guards and whispered something in their ear. The bouncer-security-guard man nodded and smiled, stepping to the side to let Haru and I in.

Once we stepped inside, we were hit with a loud wall of thumping of music and nice layer fog special affects. I coughed and waved my hand, trying to clear the fog from my face. I smiled and looked at Haru, "How did you do that?" I asked.

"I didn't make this club, ask the special affects guy." He replied and glanced around.

I sighed, "Not that. How we got in. What did you say to the bouncer person thing?"

"Oh," he laughed, "he's the one who invited me to this gig. He was one of the guards in Juvenal Hall, when I went for a few days." That was another thing I knew about. Haru hadn't just tried to rob the store I worked at, but multiple other places as well. This sent him to court and then Juviie for a little while. Oh yes, my mom would have a stroke if she knew about all of this. Bless her poor soul.

"We became good friends while I was in that place." He finished and stopped walking as large group of people jumped around to the music in front of him. I watched them a minute and figured we had strolled onto the dance floor. But when I looked away from the dancers I had completely lost Haru.

"Bastard." I hissed under my breath. There was no way in hell our relationship would last by the end of the night. It had been wrong since the beginning and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I walked away from the dancers and up some stairs, feeling stupid for getting lost and for even considering trying to continue the relationship with Haru. The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach never left and I found the bar as I reached the top of the stairs.

I almost sighed with relief though as I saw Haru ordering a drink. I should have known that's where he went but it didn't change my mind from how I felt. Leaning against the railing that encircled around the bar, I ran my hand through my red hair, the curls bouncing back into place as my hand left my hair.

People packed in against the bar, throwing out their hands with cash and yelling their orders to the bartender, who casually filled up little plastic cups with beer. After a few minutes of watching this, I felt like laughing. It was going to be such a long night if I wasn't willing to have fun. I strolled up to Haru who finally got his cup of nasty smelling beer.

"The drafts are only a buck here." He smiled widely like this was the best thing that happened since sliced bread.

I smiled back, "How hard was it to get one?" I asked.

"Not that hard. You just have to hold out your hand and wait." He cocked an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I want one." I reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar. He looked surprised a moment then the look was exchanged with confusion.

"But," he retorted, "You hate to drink."

"I think I'll make an exception for tonight." I took my dollar and trotted up to the bar. I felt his eyes burn into the back of my head as I found an empty stool and crawled up onto it so that I sat up on my knees on it. I held out my dollar through the mass of people and waved it frantically.

I leaned in more and felt myself press against random people. Haru's gaze still burned into me until I finally escaped it as I fell against the bar, the person in front of me leaving satisfied with his cup of beer. I almost hit my head on the bar as I dropped off the stool but I caught myself on it before I could. I pulled myself up and held out my dollar again.

The bartender looked amused by my trip and took my dollar, handing me the small plastic cup, "Be careful." He told me in his deep, husky voice. I smiled sheepishly and my cheeks reddened again.

"Sorry." I apologized but he didn't hear me, he just continued to fill up the cups of beer.

As soon as I shoved my way out of the mob of people still trying to get their drinks, I felt the gaze burn into me again. Though, as I looked around I didn't see Haru looking at me anymore. He was leaning against the railing, drinking his drink and talking to a small group of three or four girls. I couldn't tell the number because of the bright green, blue, yellow, and pink lights that began flying everywhere.

I didn't feel the rage I would have felt when I saw Haru with the girls and I casually took a sip of the beer, the bitter taste filling my mouth. I coughed a little and tried to ignore the burning sensation in my stomach.

I finally caught Haru's gaze and we stared at each other over the fog and lights and people. I nodded and gave a look that said it all. That this was it. We were pretty much done and he could do what he wanted. It wasn't a mean gaze; it was just a look that said I knew. He returned the look and nodded as well. For a brief second, we grinned then he swung his arms over two of the girls and walked down the stairs opposite my direction.

I almost felt bad that he wouldn't have a ride home. Almost.

But I continued to feel the gaze and I looked around, annoyed at what was bothering me. That stupid feeling that felt like someone was watching me was driving me crazy. I stopped looking as my gaze hit someone like it hit a brick wall.

"Ichigo?" the boy asked, a mixture of confusion and surprise filling his expression. He was with a group of people, just standing there as they talked amongst each other. They had him in the middle as if they were all talking to him in particular and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

"Ryou?" I breathed. It had been so long that just looking at him made my chest hurt and I felt my heart twist within its cavity.

He politely excused himself from his friends or whatever they were and they let him go with a glance and short goodbye. His stride towards me felt like a male model was walking down a runway. It was almost perfect though his confused and concerned surprise expression never left his handsome face. The years had been so well to him.

"Ichigo." His same deep voice greeted quietly, "Wow. It's been so long."

"Y-Yeah." I stuttered, "It's been a while."

"Well, you look great." He started that really awkward conversation that people get after they don't see each other for a few years. It was beginning badly.

"Oh save it Ryou." I looked away, "You know I was a bitch for leaving you guys. I was an idiot and even though you tried to get me to, I never went back. Stop acting like I'm your long lost friend or something. It's understandable if you hate me."

Ryou frowned, "Ichigo I don't hate you."

I rolled my eyes, "Please. Be truthful here."

He almost laughed, "Have I ever really lied to you before?" Nope. Not really.

I felt the years that we had missed between each other start to come back, "Really?" I asked, looking up at him.

He smiled, "Yeah."

I glanced over at his friends, "What are you doing now?"

He chuckled, "Just enjoying the night with some random people."

"They're not you friends?" I asked, looking back at him.

"Nope." He answered, "My friends are hanging out at the Mew Mew Café, packing up for the night. But since my cousin owns this place, he wanted me to come down and check it out."

I was almost surprised but I maintained my expression. Then I felt my heart start to flutter within my chest, "H-How are they?" M voice lowered.

Ryou's expression softened and he swallowed, "They miss you Ichigo." He answered, "It was never the same without you. It still isn't."

"I don't know what I was doing," I replied, "I honestly thought what I was doing was what I wanted. I never really wanted to leave them. I loved them, they were my family." Ah yes, the years had done so much to us. So many things we missed, so many days that passed with the hope that we would at one point cross paths again. My family, the closest things I had to my mom, they missed me to. What was I doing? I was hurting what I loved by being stupid.

"I missed you the most though." I felt his gaze stray away from me and I glanced back up at him, my cheeks reddening.

"You know, you crushed Keiichiro, Lettuce, and Pudding. Even though Mint and Zakuro still talked to you, you crushed them as well." He continued.

"Ryou…" I started to interrupt but he went on.

"But when I found out that you were dating another guy, who rode a motorcycle that he stole and was failing every class he was taking so he could go smoke, you crushed me the most." His gaze fell back on me and I withered like an un-watered flower in the summer sun.

"I never thought you would take an interest in me Ryou. I thought for the longest time I was nothing to you, just one of the girls working in your café. It was like there was no way there could have been something between us." I lowered my gaze.

He glowered at me and then finally sighed, "You've always been an idiot. Ichigo, you could have waited for me to say something. Why didn't you ever try telling me your feelings?"

I laughed, "I'm very traditional. I wait for the boy to ask me first." I smiled.

After a second, he smiled back. "I guess I'm not so smart either," he admitted, "I should have said something when I had the chance." I didn't know what to say after that so I just stared up at him, trying to enjoy the small reunion we were having.

He stared at me back, "Where is your boyfriend?" he finally asked with a sharp glare around the area.

"We broke up," I answered, "It wasn't working out even since the beginning."

"Oh." Ryou's same old smirk came back and he looked back at me. _"Oh my…"_ I thought and felt my face flush bright red again. My heart beat rapidly within my chest and I swallowed. A grin spread across my face and I bit my bottom lip. I couldn't explain how much I loved that smirk.

Ryou chuckled loudly and held out his hand, "Are you seriously going to drink that beer?" he asked and I felt my brain turn to mush. I shook my head slowly and handed him the cup, which he immediately discarded into the trash not too far away from where we stood.

It took us a second but the embrace finally came and I pushed myself up against his hug, the years that separated us being put back together. It felt so good against his warm chest and I buried my face into his neck as he reached up and ran his hand through my hair.

"I've always wanted to do this." He mumbled quietly as he ran his fingers to the temple of my head and then to trailed them down to my chin. I shivered slightly at his touch and ran my hands up to his chest.

"C-Can I have my job back?" I asked as he tilted my chin up to look at him. He smirked again and cocked an eyebrow.

"Maybe." He replied, "If you do something for me."

"Name it." I looked around secretly.

"Come home with my tonight." He mumbled.

"Perv!" I shoved away from him with a laugh.

"I'm serious." He laughed and walked after me as I started to take off.

The days, the months, and the years all seemed to fade away. The second I had left was the second we began to pick up. It was like a long nap that I had taken and finally awoken from. The pieces of those missed times were slowly being put together and I realized later on that I was stupid. What I thought I wanted was there all along. Maybe it was just a break I needed. Maybe.

…_The End…

* * *

_A/N: This is sort of a true story that I want to thank my cousin for loaning to me. She went through her rebellious stage and practically did it all. Though I made Ichigo out like a goody good with just a bad attitude. Oh well, I hope you guys enjoyed. I may make the next story a sad one. I don't know yet. Till then -KTHM. 


	3. These Mistakes We MadeRomance Story 3

A/N: Ok this may be my last Ichigo and Ryou romance for another couple of stories, just because I'm trying to have some variation within this series. I'll try some Kish and Ichigo and that kind of stuff later. Though I want to bring on some anguish and horror before I do those. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, I really love to hear from you guys.

_Overview: After Ryou left, Ichigo had no other choice then to stay with her boyfriend Masaya. Years passed and when Ichigo leaves to go visit her sick Aunt in a different city, she meets up with Ryou once again. What will she do from there?_

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMM!

* * *

**…_Story three… These Mistakes We Made In Our Older Years_

The sun beat down on my back that morning of my departure and I turned towards it, shielding my eyes with my hand as I gazed up at the bright blue sky. It would be a warm trip and I was almost grateful I was going in nice weather instead of our usual rain and blizzards. The sky was painted with big white blotches of white puffy clouds that threatened sprinkles but nothing more.

I looked back at my dad as he packed my suitcases into the trunk of my small car. He grunted and swore under his breath as he made my poor vehicle bounce with his shoving. I flinched each time he heaved in my bags and made my car jump and bounce as if it was a low rider and I was playing a good song. My mom stood not too far away with him with a pleasant yet concerned smile and watched him, mumbling, "Honey," every time she thought he was getting carried away or looked like he was about to hurt himself.

I inhaled deeply then started to pat myself down, making sure I had everything I needed. I checked my jean pockets for my keys and then my jacket pockets for my cell phone and wallet. When I found everything I needed, I sighed happily and walked up to my mom and dad, who had successfully shut my trunk and got my several suitcases into it without hurting himself or anyone around him.

They looked happy and my mom gave a grin that screamed, "I'm proud of you!" I giggled to myself and patted the sides of my thighs.

"If you guy's look like this while I'm just leaving for winter break then I can only imagine your expressions when I leave for college." I laughed and when they caught what I said, they laughed too.

Winter break had recently started and while I wanted to be home when the holidays came around, school would be back in session until a week before Thanksgiving and another week before Christmas. Even though the holidays wouldn't be coming around for another little while, my parents thought it would have been a good idea to go visit my relatives in a city almost five hours away. My aunt, who was also my Godmother and had loved me dearly when I was four, was bedridden and sick. They thought she would enjoy my visit.

"Your Aunty will love to see you." My mom took my hands in hers and I smiled, "She always writes letters asking how you are and what you've been up to and stuff."

"I know," I replied, "You always make me write back."

She laughed and my dad stepped next to me and set his hand on my shoulder. I always felt like he would rather talk to me like he was talking to the son he never had but I ignored it and let him take my shoulder and turn me so that I was facing him. He expression was serious which made looking at him awkward but I tried not to look away.

"Now young lady," he started, "do you seriously think you can drive for five hours all by yourself?" he asked. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Dad," I groaned annoyed and reached up and patted his hand where he gripped my shoulder, "I'm not a little kid."

"I know." His face tightened and I saw the age for a brief second in his eyes. He had gotten so older and it was becoming noticeable if I stared at his face, "But this is your first trip by yourself."

"And she will do just fine." My mom came up from behind my dad and took his hand from my shoulder and intertwined her fingers with his.

He seemed to relax at her touch and sighed, "Fine. But be sure to call us every hour when you stop for a break." He said.

I nodded, "You guy's worry too much." I replied, "I'm an adult now, I can do this." There was a huff from my dad and I smiled back at him.

"You're a pre-adult. You just barely turned eighteen so don't act so cocky." My dad grumbled and I laughed.

Yes it was true that I had just turned eighteen. It was a good birthday too since everyone was there to be with me on my special day. Masaya had taken me to my favorite restaurant that night and my friends from school and the whole Mew Mew team were there as well. All except one, that is.

I didn't like to think about the one missing from my life. The blond haired, blue-eyed boy that at one time I may have considered more then just a friend. I blocked him into the deepest crevices of my mind. The memory of him would never come up around Masaya or around any of my friends. They would stay locked away until I would summon them when the time was right.

But the time wasn't right and I refused to think of him so I just smiled and reached out my arms to hug my dad. He smiled and hugged me back. I did the same to my mom and after the five minutes of our goodbyes and second round of hugs and kisses and the ritual telling of who would be missed the most, I finally got in my car and left. But I didn't hit the road just yet, I had to stop by and say one more goodbye.

Masaya had bugged me the night before that he wanted to see me before I left, which I had allowed and decided to stop by. I drove slowly to his house and by the time I made it to his street, he was waiting outside his house with a wide grin. I smiled back and pulled up to the curb and cut the engine. He was at my door before I could even open it with his never leaving wide grin. I rolled my eyes at her persistence.

"Okay I have to make this quick." I smiled and he laughed and opened my door.

"Really?" he asked and scooped me up out of the car. I laughed and clung to his shirt as he held me like a child in his arms. I smiled crookedly and sighed, "Yeah really. My parents don't know I stopped by here. I'm supposed to be on my trip to my Aunts."

"I know, I know." He mumbled into my hair as he kissed the top of my head. After a moment of this I felt a little uncomfortable from sitting in his arms and began to squirm, "Okay enough of this." I mumbled and tried to jump out from his arms. He laughed and hugged me closer. It was worse than one of those Chinese finger traps.

"Can't you just stay a second longer?" he whined and I finally made it away from his hold and jumped from his arms. Straightening myself out and smoothing down my black sweater I shook my head and gave a sympathetic look. He frowned and looked away.

"It's just for a little while." I offered and gently took his hand. He looked back at me and his eyes smiled though his face refused to. So I just grinned happily and that made his lips twitch upward in a weak attempt of a grin. I sighed and softly kissed his hand, "I'll call you everyday alright?" I promised and then he smiled happily for real.

"Okay." He made his voice out like a last resort kind of sigh. He hugged me tightly in his arms and after a few seconds I began to pull away but he never loosened his grasp. I sighed inwardly; Masaya had always had a thing for long hugs.

"I love you." He finally mumbled after a few more seconds. This made me tense and I winced slightly as I looked up at him.

"Masaya…" I started, not really knowing where to find the words. I had been over it almost a thousand times with him that I didn't want to hear that he loved me. It wasn't that I didn't love him; I just wasn't ready for that type of promise or commitment and to be honest, I wasn't sure if those were my real feelings toward him. Love was a really strong feeling that I didn't know I felt toward Masaya. I didn't know _yet_ at least. If I did love him, I would know. I just didn't know _yet._ Yet, was a good way of putting it.

"I know, I know." He interrupted me, "But _I_ love _you_. And I'll wait." He smiled, "I'll wait to hear it from you when you're ready." He grinned and leaned in to kiss my lips...

The freeway was a madhouse and full of traffic. It was not smooth sailing right after that whole fiasco thing with Masaya. I had watched so many romances with my mom and read many cheesy books to know that was exactly what Masaya was going to say. He would wait. Well, to be frank, he was going to have to wait a long, long time. At least he was willing right? That was kind of sweet, I guess. But it would never be enough for me. There would always be something missing in my life after what happened three years ago.

I bit my lip as I made a lane change and leaned back in my seat with a groan as I realized the lane I had just entered was just as crowded as the others. My parents were going to flip if I didn't call them every hour, on the hour. And after a potential accident I almost got into about two months back, I refused to talk on my cell phone while driving. It didn't matter who was calling, I was too paranoid about getting into an accident because I was talking.

My parents knew that too so they wouldn't call me if they knew I was out and driving. But if I didn't call them, I knew they would probably start playing twenty questions and I would end up telling them I stopped by Masaya's house to say goodbye. Then that would lead to them assuming I took Masaya with me, and may God forbid they ask I come home after that. The trust would go right down the drain. I began to grind my teeth in nervousness and I leaned over the wheel, "_Huuurry!_" I begged out loud, the pleading loud and clear in my voice. I crawled along on the road for another few minutes then the congestion broke up a little and the flow of traffic grew faster. I was relieved and continued my trip, speeding along with the other cars on the never-ending freeway...

I hung up my cell phone for the third time and sighed, leaning my head back on my car. "I'm never going to get there." I groaned out loud. Three hours of driving really was putting me on the edge. So far though I had gone through about four caffeine filled bottled drinks, three bags of chips, seven packages of Pocky, and almost two sandwiches. I was finishing the second one now.

My mom seemed to enjoy hearing from me every hour. She must've been relieved to know I was still alive. I opened my car door and looked around the rest stop I was parked at. Little kids ran around with a few dogs in the grass while a few women talked to each other by the restrooms. A man reading the newspaper in his car whistled for his dog to come over while his wife leaned on the car, bottle-feeding her baby. I glanced up at the now clear sky and pulled out another soda from the small lunch pail in the back of my car.

It was days like this when no one was distracting me that I allowed myself the luxury of thinking of him. I shut the back seat door of my car as I got the soda and then moved to the front drivers seat. My parents knew I was resting so I wasn't in a rush to leave yet and opened my windows to the car to allow in the cool breeze. I dropped back my seat so that I was staring up at the ceiling and shut my eyes.

I could remember three years ago so clearly, like it had all happened only a few days before. The story was long and each time I remembered him, my heart ached in my chest. I had made the wrong decision I suppose and that's why he left. Left me and everyone else with nothing but the memory of his unhappy face. I never even had a chance to tell him to wait.

It had started a few days after the fight with Masaya. I was so mad at him that I couldn't even bare looking at him and each time he tried to make up with me or apologize, he just made it worse. The fight was as simple as it got, he deliberately did something after I specifically asked him not to. Done. That was why we were fighting.

Masaya always wanted to make the relationship move faster then how I wanted it to flow. I was really into the slow kinds of relationships and I wanted things to go as naturally as they came. One day he started doing that whole, 'I love you' crap and I had to sit him down and tell him that I wasn't ready. For crying out loud, I was only fifteen. He seemed to get it at first, like he understood and he told me that he would stop. He also said it just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment and he wasn't ready either. For that, I was thankful.

Then he would say it after small dates at maybe the movies or dinner or just going out for a walk in the park. He would walk me up to my door, we would hug and I would peck his lips and then he would tell me that he loved me. Now there had been a few times where I pretended I didn't hear it and other times where I would tell him I still wasn't ready. He acted like he acknowledged this and we would continue on with our lives. There were even times though that he was so serious about it that he would say that I was the one who started it. Like during the Mew Mew project I was the one who told him that I loved him.

I constantly reminded him that at that time, I was twelve, still a child.

But around the time of Valentines Day he took it way too far. He was a friend with the people who said the morning bulletin over the loud speaker. The loud speaker was in every room of the school and was very loud. The usual person said the bulletin like every morning and then added when he was done that he had a few extra announcements. One of which that he wanted to wish us all a Happy Valentines Day that was coming up and that Masaya Aoyama loved Ichigo Momomiya. Now even though some people clapped and some girls glowered and some boys laughed, I was probably the most humiliated person on the face of the earth. The people in my class must've mistook my blush of humiliation for something else because they all "aw"-ed and some even congratulated me after class.

I chewed Masaya a new one after school. I avoided him the entire day and when I met him in our usual place after school so we could walk home, I glared until he asked what was wrong. That's where I told him I didn't love him and that he humiliated me and that I thought he was an idiot and that he was out of line to do such a thing and so on and so forth. He tried to apologize and somehow he just kept making it worse. I left him with his words cut off mid apologize.

I inhaled as I remember everything, the cool air stinging my nostrils as I sucked in the air through my nose. I opened my eyes and looked out the window at the blue sky, watching as the breeze blew the trees, making their leaves dance and the shade they provided me shift over my face. I glanced at the clock and sat up, bringing my seat up with me. I started up the car again and pulled out of the rest stop, cutting off the memory to bring up another time...

I made it to my Aunts house in less than an hour and a half. The traffic was light and I was so thankful to have made it easily there. My cousin who frequently came over to help my Aunt came out to help me with my bags and he showed me to my room. My aunt owned a fairly nice sized home that she could no longer manage so she had my relatives come over and help maintain the house. My cousin almost seemed grateful to see me. I didn't mind helping at least.

The room he put me in wasn't really a room at all. It was the basement. The basement contained two full size beds, a old orange sofa, a dinner table with a million romance novels covering it along with a few matching chairs, a small wooden coffee table placed in front of a small television set, and many mismatched bookcases with tons of books and tons of random knickknacks. I flicked on the light to the basement and glanced around. My cousin, whose name was Kiyoshi, sighed and walked down the rest of the stairs then to one of the beds and put two of my three suitcases down on it. It bounced and squeaked with age and I winced each time the springs squealed with agony.

"Aunt Momomiya would have had you sleep in one of the other guests rooms but she's expecting company to rest there." Kiyoshi sounded annoyed and rolled his brown eyes. When I remembered Kiyoshi, he was a little boy a year or two younger then me. He had short brown hair and big brown eyes. But as the years racked on Kiyoshi had become quite mature and looked like an adult. He still had the brown eyes but his hair had grown out to around his neck and had taken on a reddish glaze and not to mention he was almost three times my size. I really felt short next to him.

"Who's coming over?" I asked and set my suitcase next to the ones on the bed, I didn't know my aunt had other company coming.

"No one." Kiyoshi replied as he grabbed a chair and set it by the wall. There was a small orange curtain shading a small portion of the wall at the very top and he pulled them back, revealing an extremely small window. It could probably fit a slim human being through but that was it.

"No one?" I repeated and stared at Kiyoshi confused. He hopped down from the chair and nodded.

"Aunty thinks the poltergeists are coming tonight and she wants them to have a place to stay. She does this every night." He explained. I could only stand there and stare at Kiyoshi.

"She thinks _ghosts_ are coming?" I almost started laughing except Kiyoshi's serious face kept me from doing anything, "You've _got_ to be kidding me?"...

Kiyoshi helped me make dinner and set the table. He was a pretty quiet kid except when he told me where something was or how I should do something. I would have probably been peeved if someone else was bossing me around but he was really sincere about it and only told me to do something when he thought it would benefit for me. It made me question whether or not he would be coming back tomorrow.

The dinner we made was pretty simple and not that big. We made Miso soup for Aunty and rice and chicken for us. She was never awake when I went to go see her since I had arrived to her home until about dinnertime where she laid in her bed, squinting at a romance novel. I walked up slowly with Kiyoshi and glanced around her small but well lit room.

"Hi Aunty!" I beamed and greeted loudly when I saw her. She quickly put her forefinger to her lips to shush me though her eyes never left the novel. Kiyoshi turned and looked at me and gave a look that librarians would have died for. It basically said to shut up. I was really taken aback by her sudden shush to me that I blinked frantically as if someone was waving something in my face.

After a moment or two my aunt tilted her head back on the thousands of pillows that supported her up. She inhaled deeply then let it out in a long soft sigh. I could only watch this process and question what she was doing. Finally, she looked up at Kiyoshi and I and grinned.

"Why," her soft voice squealed, "is that _my_ dinner?" she looked so happy that I almost died. But I felt the anger rise in me, I drove five hours all the flippin' way to see her and the first thing she can ask is if the damn soup was her dinner? I should have spit in it.

"It is." Kiyoshi answered and stepped toward, setting the tray with her soup on the huge, double stuffed, puffy white bedspread. She looked down at it as if she were the most grateful woman in the world and then back up at Kiyoshi.

"Thank you my nephew, you may go home now." She took her spoon and began to quietly slurp her soup. Kiyoshi nodded and grabbed my hand to pull me out of the room. I was guessing he was doing it before I could loudly interrupt her eating process with a cheerful hello.

"What the hell was that?" I angrily marched down the stairs from the second story where her bedroom, the main bathroom, and the phantoms rooms all resided.

"She won't talk to you until she finishes her chapter in her novels." Kiyoshi answered in his quiet voice.

"That was ridiculous!" I scoffed angrily, "I mean, I even said hello to her and she never even acknowledged my existence. Kiyoshi, I did not drive five hours down here to be ignored." I informed him with an angry glare. He nodded and walked to the kitchen where he grabbed his car keys off the small table.

"She knows you're here. She just won't talk to you yet. She does that to everyone who enters her home and isn't an hour settled in." he explained, "It's weird. She told me she thinks our souls need an hour to be able to relax from whatever you were just doing. And she doesn't talk to your human body, she speaks with your soul." He finished in a mimicking tone that made me giggled quietly.

"Oh my god, I'm going to be living with a freak the next few weeks." I sighed as I walked Kiyoshi to the door.

He shrugged, "She's not so bad once you get to know her. She basically sleeps all day and only wakes up when she's ready to eat. Though, after her dinner will you please get her bowl and tray and then shift her body so that she's sleeping on her stomach?" he asked me.

I stared at him as if he was just as crazy as my aunt.

He sighed, "The bowl needs to be cleaned and if she stays in that spot too long she may get a bed sore. That's the last thing we need so just roll her over. She's really light." He grinned slightly.

I nodded and rolled my eyes then opened the door. He left quietly and I sighed. It was going to be a long night...

Kiyoshi had left without eating the chicken and rice so I had an extra helping of dinner. It wasn't so bad because I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started eating and before I knew it, I had eaten both his sharing and mine. I cleaned out the plates and got my aunts bowl. I shifted her in the bed like Kiyoshi told me to and he was right, she wasn't that heavy.

After shutting off her light and then locking up all the doors, I went and showered, getting ready for bed. I washed my face when I finished showering then put on my pajamas, which consisted of gray yoga pants and a black tank top. I crawled into the bed that didn't have my suitcases on it and pulled the blankets up over me. As soon as I shut my eyes, I was out.

I woke up that morning to someone shaking my shoulder. The shaking left after a few moments and I went back to sleep. A few minutes later or what felt like a few minutes, the shaking came back and I groaned angrily before trying to wake up. My name was whispered harshly several times and I finally smacked the shaking hand away before I sat up and opened my eyes.

The light poured in through my small window and I squinted my eyes and licked the dry spit from my lips. After a few seconds of trying to regain myself from sleep, I glanced around my room and glared at the person waking me up.

"Morning." Kiyoshi mumbled.

"Why would you wake me up this early?" I questioned though I didn't even know the time. I continued to squint/glare at Kiyoshi until he sighed and shook his head.

"It's almost twelve o' clock." He answered and rolled his brown eyes, "I'm not going to be here in three days so you need to know when to get up and take care of Aunty."

"Oh." I grumbled and brought my legs up to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them and set my head down on my knees. Kiyoshi stared at me and after a moment, I felt myself dozing again. I was clearly sleep deprived or something.

Kiyoshi sighed angrily and left the room, causing me to chuckle as I fell back asleep. I woke up again on my own this time and when I checked the clock on my cell phone it was only an hour later. I got out of bed and yawned, starting to walk up the stairs.

Kiyoshi was hanging out in the little living room, reading a book that seemed like something my aunt would have been reading on a small light brown sofa. He looked up at me as I approached then narrowed his eyes in an annoyed fashion. I grinned sheepishly, "Hi." I greeted.

"Finally decided to get up and do something?" he questioned, evidently annoyed with me. He looked back down at his book as he continued to read.

"Sorry," I apologized and flopped down on the sofa next to him, "It'll only happen once." I promised, "I'm just really tired from the trip over here yesterday."

Kiyoshi shrugged his shoulders; "You just have to know how to watch over Aunty before I leave. It's not that hard, I mean the woman just sleeps until she gets hungry. Then you know how she is when she reads so you just have to wait. Sometimes it's shorter, other times it's longer." He explained, not really looking up from his book, "It's all a matter of where she's at in her chapters."

I nodded, listening. She didn't sound that hard to take care of.

"And she's perfectly capable of going to the bathroom on her own." He also informed me and I laughed.

"She just needs help getting out of bed on her bad days." He added and set down the book, "Anyways, I just fed her so she's fine until about dinner. So do you want to get ready and go look around the town or just hang out here?" he asked. I grinned.

"I've actually been here before. My parents drag me down here every once in a while during the summer." I laughed, "We don't visit anyone else. Just Aunty." I sighed, "So I know my ways around here. But I think I may just go for a drive around the block. Care to join me?" I asked, starting to enjoy Kiyoshi's company. He stood up and shook his head.

"Nah, I have to go to school. I still have clubs I must devote myself to." He sighed and I laughed again, except this time he laughed a little with me.

"Just roll Aunty on her side before you go anywhere." He added before grabbing his car keys and leaving the house. I nodded and looked at the book he was reading. Picking it up with caution, careful not to lose his page, I started to read through the first couple of pages. What I picked up was that it must have been some sort of romance. Not much of something I would expect a boy to read. But he must've been bored and Aunty did have mountains of the sappy romances lying around the house.

I set the book back down and eyed the front cover of the blond man holding the beautiful model in his arms as if he were rescuing her from horrifying death. Oh yeah. It was a sappy romance. But something about the look in the blond mans' face made me think of _him_, and it sent shivers down my spine. I allowed myself to open back up my memories as I started to get ready to leave.

I remembered everything slowly at first, not letting myself go crazy from where I last left off. Throwing on some jeans, a white shit, and pink sweater, I inhaled deeply as I began to remember. But the memories only came out in bits and pieces so it made it difficult to feel the music of my long lost recollections. I decided to hold off on them all until I was done getting ready.

Aunty was snoring loudly as I pushed her to her side lightly and gently but I also couldn't help but giggle each time she inhaled with a deep snore. It tickled my funny bone and I quickly left the room and entered the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth, applied makeup, and combed out the knots in my hair. I left it down and un-straightened but then changed my mind because of its gross looking-ness. I quickly pulled it up into a ponytail then left the house without haste.

It felt good to be out and about on the cool winter's afternoon. I almost felt like walking except I knew that it would just get colder and I would end up turning around and coming back to Auntie's house. So I just got into my car and drove down the street.

Since I had been here last summer, I remembered the city putting in a small park not too far from a café that reminded me of Café Mew Mew. I decided to drive there and follow the flow of the afternoon drivers. I made my way slowly into the parking lot of the park and admired it from afar as I chose my place under the shade. Like always, a breeze was blowing and the clouds were slowly moving overhead. I watched children laugh and play for a moment before I set my head down on the steering wheel.

I inhaled deeply and then shut my eyes, ready to remember again.

A few day's after the whole fight with Masaya, I tried to forget him and just went back to work. Everything was fine except the way _he_ and I were acting towards each other. We were usually big fighters but whatever we had decided to tease each other about ended up in something either sweet and cute or perverted and funny. I was almost embarrassed but it lightened me up and I started to enjoy it.

Masaya's apologetic phone calls never ended and I continued to ignore them, taking my time to hang with my friends at the Café Mew Mew or mess around with _him_. I swallowed as I remembered then allowed myself to remember his name. I grinned as it rolled in with my memories.

It wasn't like Ryou (I shivered) and I were doing nasty things. I wasn't cheating on Masaya-though at the time I didn't care. I wasn't doing anything wrong but things started to get just a little deeper.

I was always the last one out of work. Always. Just because; I was the slowest because I took longer breaks and did the harder chores and served the biggest party of people. That was why I was always the last one leaving. Everyone knew that, including Ryou.

When I decided it was time for me to get ready and leave, I went to the changing rooms to dress out of my uniform. I was unzipping the back when I heard the door open and I turned around to yell at whoever it was but stopped abruptly when I noticed it was Ryou.

I smirked, "Can't you ever learn to knock?" I asked, "Leave, I need to finish getting ready you pervert."

He laughed at my comment and walked smoothly into the locker room more. Normally, I would have screamed and thrown something at him but at the time the aura was so different then anything I had ever experienced with Ryou or Masaya that I just let him come in. My cheeks reddened a little as he approached and he leaned on the locker, way too close to me for comfort.

"S-Seriously Ryou," I heard my voice stutter and my arms trembled slightly, "I want to go home."

He seemed to ignore whatever I said and ran his fingers through my hair. His cool fingers touched my ear then he ran them down to my temple, my cheek, then under my chin. I felt my cheeks flush more and I looked at Ryou. My brain totally turned to mush and I couldn't remember anything I wanted to say. I wanted to tell him that I had a boyfriend. I wanted to tell him that I needed to get ready to go home. I wanted to tell him that my parents would be waiting. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't do this to Masaya. I wanted to tell him that I would do it to Masaya anyways. I wanted to tell him I really, really liked him. But all of that just went away. Poof! It was just a jumble in my mind.

My heart thumped rapidly in my chest and everything started to move so, so slow. Ryou leaned in and I did the same and before I knew it, he was kissing me. Or maybe I was kissing him. Or we were kissing each other. I didn't know. It was just one big freaking mess. But, it felt so good. It was different and the feeling I got was beyond better then anything Masaya would have given me.

I remembered wrapping my arms around Ryou's neck and he slipped his arms around my waist. He leaned me against the few lockers and ran his hand back up to my face again. He cupped my cheek and deepened the kiss.

Everything did not seem to last that long. When we broke away for air, I felt my cheeks burn. I was lightheaded and dopey feeling, as if I were on meds or drugs. But, it was so awesome. It was my drug, the one I had become addicted to.

I sighed at the memories, everything just weighed down on my chest as if I had opened something that I could never close. It was awful. It was a feeling I could never get rid of. I set my cheek on the steering wheel. Its coolness felt good against my burning hot cheek and I sighed again.

I listened to the outside world and shut my eyes. After a few minutes I heard a voice and I immediately opened my eyes. The voice wasn't talking to me; it was just outside of my car. It was talking to a little kid in a soft tone, as if it were trying to soothe it. I couldn't compel myself to move. My whole body stiffened and I bit the inside of my cheek.

My hands shook against the steering wheel but I finally was able to move my head so that I was looking to the other side of my car. Then, it was if the entire world knew my problems and they brought him to me especially. My breath caught in my throat and I stared out my window at him.

"Ryou." I breathed but he didn't hear me. Thank God. He wasn't right next to my car either. He was a few cars down from mine, kneeling next to a little kid that looked similar to him in ways. The little kids was crying and wiping his eyes with his arms. Ryou smiled softly at the little kid and it knocked the breath right out of me again.

My poor heart beat so fast in my chest that I wasn't sure if I would live through the next few seconds. But I did. And it was glorious. I was tempted to jump out of the car and scream his name but everything stopped me from that.

My hand shook and I slowly reached over the armrest of my car, pressed the button to the windows, and rolled mine down. My mouth was dry and I started to feel myself tremble. This was what I would have waited for my entire life. I would have done anything to actually see him again and there he was. But the time just didn't seem perfect enough. There was something bound to go wrong.

"Ryou." I whispered at first then cleared my voice as I heard it crack.

"Ryou!" I called a bit louder. It was loud enough to make the little kid look but Ryou didn't. My hands were sweating like crazy and I felt an odd coolness to my face. It was like all the blood had been drained from me. I saw it then, I saw how his body stiffened and he deliberately glanced away. I wanted to gasp but the air was already taken from me. The little boy sniffled and turned to look at Ryou. I heard the boy ask, "Whose that?" but Ryou was taking the little boys hand and walking away.

I was kicked in the gut...

Kiyoshi had been staring at me for almost five minutes. It was my third day at my aunt's house and he was being really skeptical about going. He kept asking me questions I already knew or answered. He would point out where the food was and I would repeatedly tell him I knew.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked and touched it. My cool fingertips stung against my warm cheeks and I blinked a few times.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" he asked. He had already asked this plenty of times and my answer was always the same.

"Kiyoshi," I sighed, "I'm going to be fine! Like you said, Aunty is not that hard to take care of."

"Yeah but that was before you came back here a couple of days ago and cried like you lost your puppy." He sighed also.

Losing my puppy? I always wanted a dog…

"I just saw a sad movie." I rubbed my eyes. These past few days had been hell but I didn't want to think about it.

"Yeah and about that, every time I ask you always change your story around. It's either you're home sick, you found out your favorite actor died, grades just came in and you failed a class, and now it's a sad movie." He rolled his eyes, "I've had plenty of girlfriends, not that I'm boasting, but none of them have cried for days on how sad it was."

"Yeah, but I'm not your girlfriend." I argued a little and folded my arms, "Maybe I'm ultra sensitive."

Kiyoshi sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "Okay you know, let me just confirm this. What's your parents number?" He asked.

I gasped, "You wouldn't?"

Kiyoshi nodded, "I would. Now, either you tell me what's really wrong or I call your parents."

I sighed and took a second to think of a good lie to throw at him that would satisfy him so he could leave and I could go back to lying on my bed and moping.

But it all sort of got out before I could think. My story was told to Kiyoshi and when I finished, I felt the tears stinging my eyes.

Kiyoshi stared at me blankly and finally lowered his gaze, "Wow. That sure as hell beats all your made up stories."

I fell back on the couch and groaned loudly, "Kiyoshi I don't know what to do. I just want to talk to him but I don't know where he lives and I'm afraid he'll ignore me."

Kiyoshi laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. I noticed the look. It was exactly something my dad would give me if I had a problem that was too girly for him. I groaned again.

"Okay, I see you're not going to be any help so you can just go on your little trip. I'll take are of it myself." I said, annoyed.

Kiyoshi shrugged, "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

I shook my head, "I don't know okay? I'm just going to forget about it because it all seems too difficult and if he doesn't want to talk to me then what's the purpose of trying to contact him?" that seemed to clear everything up. I was feeling so empty that it made me feel like doing nothing. I sighed; as if I did then it would get everything off my chest. Maybe I should have tried calling Zakuro. She could help.

Kiyoshi pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and dialed a number. He turned away from me and talked on the phone for a few minutes. I watched him without interest and wondered what time I should feed Aunty. He turned back to me a minute later and grinned.

"Okay, I did you a favor," he started, "I know where that guy works at. His last name is Shirogane right?" he asked. I smiled a little then frowned, remembering that I was unhappy.

"Yeah." I answered and he nodded.

"Okay well I have a few friends that work with him." He announced this like he had just saved my life. But then I was on my feet, grinning.

"You do?" I asked.

He nodded, "There's a restaurant called _Desserts First_ and he's a waiter there."

I felt my heart pound a little and I smiled, "Oh my goodness! Kiyoshi!" I felt like squealing. Kiyoshi gave a blank look, "What?" he asked.

I had him in a great big hug before he could ask again, "Oh! Thank you so much Kiyoshi." I laughed, "I totally owe you."

He sighed, "Well I guess I do owe you for taking care of Aunty for me the next couple of days."

I grinned, already planning the rest of my day...

Kiyoshi left and I did what I was supposed to do. I cleaned up the house, rotated Aunty every once in a while, made her dinner, and then started to get ready. I wasn't going to let Ryou get away as easy as he thought he was. I was prepared to fight, to get hard-core answers for my awesome hard-core questions. I was ready to tell him that I made my choice.

I checked my watch then grabbed the tray that I usually put my aunts dinner on. I grabbed her drink carefully and started walking up the stairs. She was propped up in bed as usual but this time something was different. She looked at me and grinned as I entered. I noticed immediately the drastic difference, "Hello Aunty." I greeted, "Where's your novel?" I asked.

Her smiled grew wider on her old, aged, wrinkly face and she folded her hands on the huge, puffy, white comforter. I was a little taken aback by her smile but stepped closer with her dinner.

"I'm thinking there's a better story I'd rather hear tonight." She answered as I set her dinner on her lap. I blinked, not quite understanding. I put the drink on her side table and took the empty cup from her lunch.

"What's that?" I asked her.

"I think it'll be a good romance." She smiled at me and I cocked an eyebrow then sighed.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked.

"Just long enough to hear your story," she answered me then inhaled deeply and let it out with a sigh, "and it was a very dramatic one."

"Dramatic?" I questioned, "You think so?"

My aunt held up her hand and began counting her fingers, "It had romance, betrayal, humor, heartbreak, and now it's all leading down to this." She poked her lap.

"What do you mean?"

"Tonight. I know your plans. I was a mother at one point too and this is exactly what a girl your age would do. Go and try to make things right. Well at least that what my daughters would do. And I would do it too." She smiled widely and I gawked at her.

"Be sure to tell me the ending." She waved and picked up her chopsticks, starting to eat her tempura.

I backed away slowly from her room and rushed down the stairs. When I got to the bottom, I blinked a few times and went to go get ready...

I settled on black skirt with a pink top and white jacket. I wore my usual thigh-high black stockings then thought against the whole outfit because of the weather. It started to rain less then five minutes after my conversation with Aunty and I sighed as I gazed out the window.

"This isn't exactly appropriate attire for the weather." I told myself and got back up to go change. This time I just changed into a pair of black jeans and pulled on my shoes. I left my hair down and was a little weak on my makeup. Sighing, I checked on Aunty. She was back asleep and I turned her on her side. With that, I left...

_Desserts First _was actually a comical place to go eat. It wasn't exactly how I imagined it. What I thought of was a pastry bakery or like a café when I heard the name of place. But, it was a very dark, dreary looking restaurant. I assumed it served sweets and stuff but the place looked unwelcoming. There weren't very many cars in the parking lot but from what I heard from Kiyoshi, was that it was a very popular place during the morning. _"No wonder."_ I rolled my eyes and opened my car door.

The rain pelted down on the car door as I opened it and I made a run for it as I left my car, shutting the door quickly. When I got inside the restaurant, I felt that same feeling that my blood was leaving my face and I leaned against the door of the restaurant for support. I questioned myself over and over again in my head, what was I doing? What would I do if I really saw him? How would I react?

A stuttered sigh escaped my lips and I slowly walked up to the hostess. The inside of the restaurant was actually very nice and dim lights were everywhere. Chinese lanterns and candles lit the tables while you could see exotic fish light up in their dark tanks. I admired their theme and was slightly shameful for thinking anything wrong of the eatery.

"Welcome to Desserts First," The hostess, a very beautiful young girl with dark red hair greeted me, "How many?"

I grinned, "Just one."

She picked out a menu from the slots and smiled, "Right this way."

I followed her down the small halls into a room with a few people at their tables. Waiters walked back and forth from the kitchen, serving various bright colored drinks. I watched them carefully; seeking the blond one in particular but didn't see him anywhere. I felt doubt and disappointment settle in my chest. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up about seeing him. I didn't exactly know the dates he worked so I couldn't have been sure if he worked the night I was there.

The hostess showed me to a small booth and I scooted in. She told me my waiter would be right with me and I grinned but frowned when she left. "This so sucks." I mumbled as I sat my head down on the table. The small flame on the candle flickered lightly and I felt stupid for being where I was. I had been contradicting with myself all night. I went back and forth on what was right and wrong and I never seemed to figure out what exactly I wanted to do.

I had Masaya. I had a boy that loved me back at home, worrying and waiting every second for me. He wasn't a bad person. He just wasn't what I wanted. I was so awful and selfish it was horrible. I felt frustrated, like I couldn't figure out what was good for me. That's probably what made Ryou leave in the first place. He was gone and it was mostly my fault. I didn't choose. Or probably didn't choose right.

Tears stung my eyes again and I sniffled, I was perhaps the worst crybaby on the face of the planet. It was because when I got so confused and frustrated, I cried. I didn't understand. I didn't know. My bottom lip trembled and I sniffled again, I wanted someone to tell me so I could understand.

Then the waiter approached and the familiar voice greeted me, "Hello, I'm Ryou, I'm going to be your server tonight. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

"Why can't you talk to me so I can understand you?" I cried and glared up at him. He looked very taken aback and surprised and I hiccupped as the tears rolled down my cheeks...

I was so embarrassed about how I greeted Ryou that I couldn't look at him every time he approached me in the kitchen. I sat like and idiot on a stool in the back room with a tissue in my hand and a glass of water in the other. He came in every couple of minutes to ask me how I was and I would always answer "Better." But I wasn't. I honestly wished that I could just shrivel up and die but I had come too far to do that quite yet.

Ryou came in and was loosening his uniform tie as he walked up to me. I bowed my head in shame and heard him sigh as I did so, "Stop doing that." He voice pleaded a little.

"Doing what?" I still didn't look up at him.

"That head bowing thing," he shook his head, "it reminds me of a dog when they're being scolded."

I winced at his comment but he sighed, "I didn't mean it like that Ichigo."

The way he said my name made my cheeks blush and I looked up at him a little. He hadn't changed much since before he left except that his hair had grown out a little and he was a little taller. His face was still handsome and I bit my bottom lip as I gazed at him.

"I know," I finally responded and he grabbed another stool and brought it up next to me.

"Ichigo, honestly, what are you doing here?" He asked, though his voice sounded annoyed.

I began to feel nervous and squeezed the tissue in my hands, "I was… looking for you." I answered honestly.

He seemed to not think it wasn't true and sighed, "Really?"

"Ryou how come you ignored me that day?" I asked, "Three days ago. I called your name and you deliberately looked away. I came down here to visit my sick aunt but all I've thought about since I've got here, was you."

Ryou looked tense again and stood up from the stool, "My shift is ending, and maybe you should go home?" he asked. I was really hurt by his words but I was ready to put up a fight.

"No," I shook my head, "Not now Ryou. I've worked too hard to come and find you."

Ryou stared at me and I stared back but the feeling I got from his gaze pierced me in a way that made me want to get up and grab him and never let go. I refrained from this feeling and finally Ryou sighed.

"Want to come home with me?" he asked and I blinked a few times before I answered...

Ryou's home was not too far from my Aunts place so I wasn't that concerned if anything happened. I could probably walk to her place it was so close. His house was a two story with big windows and a black front door. The whole place was painted a dark shade of yellow, it was almost a golden color but I couldn't tell that well since it was night. His car was similar to mine except it was black and when he opened the door to let me out; I felt a rush go through me.

Everything felt right. Like this would have been us at one point.

He took me into his house and showed me around before we settled into the living room. That's where he began the conversation and it sent us back to that day.

"You knew I liked you, I liked you a lot." He started and I pulled my legs up to my chest on his black couch.

"I liked you a lot also." I told him and my cheeks reddened. I hoped he couldn't see in the dim light of the living room.

"But," he sighed, "You didn't choose me."

"I didn't choose anyone Ryou." I protested and gazed at him.

The memory came back like that. It was slow and I remembered it again, as we went back and forth, telling each other of that night as if we were making sure it was real.

"You stayed with me the entire night and I thought we had something." He leaned back in his seat next to me and shut his eyes, "I thought for sure when I asked you to choose between me or," he paused a brief second to scowl, "Masaya, that you would choose me."

"You didn't even give me a day to think about it Ryou," I argued, a little pissed, "You up and left when I told you the next day that I didn't know. I was fifteen and it was a decision I didn't know how to make. You knew that."

"You liked me a lot though. I wanted nothing more, then you. And if you were going to stay with him, then I was going to leave. I couldn't stand and watch you with him Ichigo, and pretend there was nothing between us." He argued back. His words hurt me a little and I looked away.

"What would have all our friends thought?" I asked, "If all of a sudden we were going out or dating or whatever?"

"Would it matter what they thought? They didn't seem to care that you were dating Masaya. What's different with me?" he asked.

"You were my boss." I looked at him, "My parents would have thought I was up to no good especially since you were older than me."

"I'm not _that _older." He immediately protested.

I was silent after that. He stared at me from the darkness and I stared back. I wanted to reach over and cuddle up to his chest and stay with him the rest of the night.

"And after everything, you continued to stay with Mr. Perfect." Ryou looked away. I recoiled from ever thinking of getting close to him.

"You're such an asshole! You left me there. You left me and I didn't leave you. I had no one except…"

"Except the boy who loved you." Ryou finished for me and I turned away, "You stuck around the entire time to hear 'I love you' from someone you could never love back."

"I didn't know how to break up with him after you left." I answered honestly, "I wouldn't have known where to begin to find you. I asked Keiichiro everyday and he refused to tell me. He told me that you wanted it to be kept 'confidential'."

"I did." Ryou started at me, "I didn't want to hear from you ever again after that point. But I was mad at the time and couldn't find the courage to come back and see you when I got over it."

"I thought of you almost every day after that. I finally had to keep them all a way after two years because Keiichiro told me I would most likely never see you again."

"You can see me now." He was being sarcastic.

"It's not the way I want to see you though."

"What do you mean?"

"I really expected our reunion to be so much different. I never imagined my first greeting to you would be that I was so frustrated to the point that I was crying." I ran my hand through my hair. The rain outside got heavier for a few minutes then I heard it start to lighten on the house.

The dimmed light wasn't enough for me to see in the dark though I felt Ryou scoot over a little closer to me. I blushed slightly and scooted closer to him. We were to the point that maybe our arms could be touching when he reached over and grabbed my waist, pulling me closer to him. My cheeks went bright red but I loosened up and leaned against him.

"I only ignored you three days ago because I couldn't believe it was you. I didn't want to disappoint myself by looking over and knowing it wouldn't be you." He mumbled.

"But it was me," I said and buried my face into his chest, "It took everything I had to know it was you also." I inhaled his fragrance and everything smelt the same from that night. The night before he left where we first kissed and never left his room. We never did anything bad that night but we never left each other. I never wanted to leave him but the next morning when it was just he and I, he made me promise that I would choose either him or Masaya.

I never got a chance to think about it. I wanted Ryou more then Masaya but I wasn't sure if it was the right thing at the time. Everything was just so messed up. And then he put the burden on me when he got mad and left the next day. When I went back to work all his stuff was packed up and he was nowhere to be found.

Keiichiro was straightforward and no matter how many times I broke down and cried in front of him, he would never tell me where Ryou was. Never. There was no bribe I could make to get him to confess. Nothing would ever make him tell me. I guess Ryou was pretty strict with Keiichiro on the subject.

I glanced up at Ryou and he looked back at me. It didn't take long after that for our lips to meet and the reunion to actually take place. He ran his hand to my cheek like before as he deepened the kiss and I wrapped my arms around his neck again. The things went a little further. He started to lean on me a bit and my heart raced as I fell back onto the couch.

He deepened the kiss again and I ran my fingers down his chest. The rain continued to fall and I guess in ways, so did I...

The next morning I was at my Aunts house, making her breakfast like usual. Now, I never left Ryou that night but it was like the night at the Mew Mew Café three years back, we never got _that_ far. I giggled as I scrambled her eggs and I was feeling lightheaded and way too happy for my own good. I finished the breakfast and put it all on her tray.

I walked upstairs to my aunt's room. She was smiling brightly at me and I could tell she was expecting the ending of my story. I grinned back at her and set the tray down on her lap.

"Let's just say," I started before she could ask, "the story ends happily."

"Now that's not a good ending." My aunt frowned and shook her head.

"Why is that?" I asked with a smile.

"Because then there are no details. You've left the reader hanging and they can't be convinced that the ending was a good one."

I laughed, "Well I'd hate to disappoint the reader or listener in your case." My aunt seemed to lighten up at this and I sat down on the chair next to her bed. I crossed my legs Indian style on the chair and leaned forward a bit.

I told her most of the story, all the way up to where we began kissing, that was where I stopped and told her the story wasn't going to end quite yet. She seemed satisfied for the moment and shut her eyes as she fell asleep.

I was starting to get up when I heard the doorbell ring and I quickly rushed down the stairs. I was expecting Ryou later in the day so I wasn't quite sure whom I would be greeting at the door. I put on a smile and opened the door but what I didn't realize was that it was to my hell on earth.

The moment was really slow and surreal to the point that I couldn't believe that anything was happening. I opened the door and to my great dismay, stared into the eyes of my boyfriend.

"Ichigo!" He sang and smiled happily at me.

"Oh my…" I trailed off and the blood drained from my face again.

His arms were around me in the next second and I was staring out the door at his car and his suitcases. I was going to be sick. I was going to be totally and absolutely sick. There was no way possible any of this was happening. I was in a nightmare and I was for sure going to wake up soon. Really. None of this could be happening to me.

"Happy belated birthday present from you parents." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

But it was all just beginning...

I called my parents later on in the day to bite their heads off. I was outraged in their little belated birthday surprise present. I couldn't believe they would just invite someone over when they knew I was on my vacation also.

"Mom what you did was a stupid idea, not that I'm not grateful for whatever you and dad give me but this was an awful present!" I whispered harshly on the phone. I was standing out in the backyard of my Aunts backyard as Masaya unpacked. I was so tempted to walk in there and tell him to pack back all his stuff up and go back home but I abstained before doing anything harsh.

"What on earth are you talking about?" my mom asked and it sounded like she was washing dishes, "I thought you would have loved to see Masaya. Aunty knows, she was aware of it from the beginning that you would be coming over then your boyfriend would be joining you."

"Mom that's not it. I was expecting a few weeks away from everyone and things are really screwed up right now and having Masaya down here just isn't going to fix any of it." I sighed.

"Well what would you like me to do sweetie? I can't just have him come home. You still have another week or two before you come home also. Have him stay a few more days and then inform him that he has to go home." My mom offered.

"It is not going to be that simple." I said and glanced over my shoulder. I dropped my voice a few notches down, "I found Ryou Shirogane." I told her.

"Your boss?" my mom asked and I heard her stop washing a dish and set it down.

"Yeah, he's living pretty close by Aunty." I glanced around.

"Oh," my mom didn't seem to know how to comment on that, "well how is he? Are you talking to him?"

"Uh huh." I answered and bit my nail, "Mom I got to go." I started to say goodbye as I saw Masaya stroll up the door to the backyard.

"Bye love, I'll talk to you later. I love you." My mom sounded a little disappointed.

"Bye mom, love you too." I quickly shut off my phone and threw on a fake grin as Masaya walked up to me.

"How's everything going?" he asked with a smile.

"Good, good, actually Masaya I got to go in a few minutes. I'm going to go pick up my aunts medication." I lied and pointed my thumb over my shoulder.

"Oh well then I'll go with you." He reached over and stroked my cheek. How was I ever going to break up with him? I thought I was going to have at least a week to figure out how I would do it but with him randomly showing up, it just messed everything up.

"No," I protested lightly, "No that's okay. I'm afraid to leave Aunty so I was wondering if you would stay and watch her. Just, you know, to make sure she's okay. I really need to get those meds though before the pharmacy closes." I twitched my eye a little and tilted my head.

"Oh, oh yeah, sure." Masaya grinned weakly, "No problem. I was hoping to hang out though."

"We'll have all week to do that." I smiled happily and patted his shoulder, "I'll see you in a bit okay?"

"Of course," Masaya smiled and leaned in to kiss me goodbye but I danced around it. I tapped my wrist as if I were tapping my watch to say I was late. He grinned and just waved and I waved back, rushing out the door.

I ran as fast as I could to my car before he could come after me and I started it up quickly. I looked over my shoulder and pulled out of the driveway then sped down the street. When I thought I was far enough from my Aunt's house, I pulled over and cut the engine.

"Okay," I began talking to myself as I took out my cell phone, "There has got to be a way I can make this right again." I scrolled through my contacts, trying to figure out whom to call. When I spotted the name I was looking for, I paused and thought about what I was doing.

Over the years, if there was one girl I knew who had matured more than anyone; it would be the girl everyone knew as the monkey chick, Pudding. Pudding was going to be great when she got older. She could possibly be the best therapist on the face of the planet. She had started looking at things differently when she saw what her older friends had started going through in their teens. Since Pudding was the youngest of us all, she took our mistakes and our faults to heart as she watched us get older. She knew what to do right and what to do wrong. Her observations caused her to become extremely smart and wise. She was about thirteen or fourteen and a great student at school.

I bit my lip then took a deep breath as I pressed 'Send' on my phone and called her. Her phone rang a few times before her happy voice answered, "Ichigo!" and I grinned. I could see her happy face in my mind and I leaned back in my seat.

"Hey Pudding." I ran my hand through my hair, "Want to help your big sister out?" I asked.

"Sure!" her voice started to soften a little, "Is it about a boy?" she questioned.

"Uhm, let's just say, it's about two of them." I laughed.

"Oooh!" she exaggerated, "Hm Ichigo which two boys are they?"

"Ryou and Masaya," I sighed, "You see I…"

"No way Ichigo!" Pudding cut me off, "I can't believe you found Ryou, but either way. I'm not getting into this one."

"What do you mean?" I was starting to freak out; I needed help like big time.

"Look, if it's one think I noticed over the years with all your guy's break ups and boyfriends, is that you usually figure things out better on your own. What you really need to consider is if you really want to stay with someone who's good to you and loves you or go with someone you haven't seen in almost three years." Pudding explained.

"Yeah but I like Ryou a lot." I whispered.

"Is that a good reason to leave your boyfriend? He's been there for you for everything. You may not love him now, but maybe you will once you see what he can be to you Ichigo." Pudding sighed.

"I don't… I can't…" I couldn't find the right words. Everything she was saying was true but I didn't know what I really wanted to do.

"Listen to me, this is a matter of you though. If you want to stay with Masaya, then stay. But if you'd rather be Ryou then stay with him. You got to do what you want to do. Just think of the consequences and the benefits." Pudding paused, "That's all I'm saying."

"My god you are a smart little girl." I commented and set my head down on the steering wheel.

"I can only learn from the best mistakes." Pudding laughed, "Yours."...

So I really took what Pudding said into consideration. I stayed in my car for hours, ignoring every phone call I got from my mom, Masaya, and even Ryou. Kiyoshi ended up ringing me a few times but I didn't answer that either. I pulled my legs up to my chest and set my forehead down on my knees and thought. I thought about everything I went through when Ryou left. From all the shit he put me through when I worried constantly about him, when I missed him, when I wished for him to just come home, when he threw me in all that, I counted it as a strike against him.

Then there was Masaya, when he didn't listen to me. When he said things that I really didn't want to hear. When he tried to push and push and push things to the point where I didn't want to be near him. I counted all those as a strike against him.

I weighed my pros and cons and made the decision I wanted to stay with. It was about three hours later when I was startled by a knock on my window. I jumped with a soft gasp and looked out my window at Mr. Blond hair-blue eyes. He pointed down with his forefinger, indicating to me that he wanted me to roll down my window.

I obeyed and rolled it down, glancing around into the now darkened sky. He sighed and leaned against my car.

"Ichigo," he started, "You know a lot of people are looking for you right now? They're really worried."

"How many is 'a lot'?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Masaya called your parents down once you never answered your phone so they're on their way now. I don't know, I think your cousin got a few people out there and Masaya is like a worried mother, running around as if he were a chicken with his head cut off."

I grinned at his harsh, sarcastic humor.

"Now what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was really thinking about everything you know?" I sighed, "With Masaya just randomly showing up, it kind of put everything out of whack."

"Oh." Ryou sounded a little uninterested but I knew he was listening.

"I was planning on breaking up with Masaya when I got home. But when he randomly showed up here…"

"I've noticed that." Ryou added in.

"I wasn't sure what to do." I rubbed my temples, "I really, really want to stay with you Ryou. I have such deep feelings for you but what you put my through three years ago to this day, I'll never get over."

"Ichigo," he started to get concern in his voice and was ready to protest but I went on.

"I mean, you left me hanging. I was there, waiting, everyday for you. And even if you didn't have the courage to come see me, you could have called. Or even told Keiichiro to tell me." I inhaled deeply and he seemed to listen more

"But I don't want to continue my relationship with Masaya," I looked the other way now, "I don't want to hear everyday from someone I don't love 'I love you'. I like my relationships to flow smoothly. I want things to go and come naturally."

"So what are you going to do?" Ryou asked, "Who are you going to choose?"

"I'm," I paused, "I've decided I really want to be happy. Happy with whatever decision I make and not be disappointed in the future." I answered and leaned my head back on my headrest.

"You know I'll always be here." Ryou said and reached in through the window to take my hand. I held his hand softly and nodded.

"Without you, my heart hurts." I admitted, "Being around you makes things so much better. This is going to be difficult but I'll make it right. I promise." I grinned up at him and he grinned down at me.

"It's whatever you want Ichigo. I'm going to be waiting for you." He smiled and I ran my thumb over his knuckle.

"Masaya is waiting for me too. But I think it's about time the waiting ends. I'll be back at the end of the year. And I'll visit on breaks. I should probably finish school first." I smiled.

"That would be the right idea. And I'll visit you also." He let go of my hand and softly ran his hand through my hair, "I'm not willing to lose you though."

"After all that I've gone through this past week, you think I would give up on you that easily?" I questioned and he laughed.

"Let's hope not. My home always has enough room for you." He added and leaned down. I gently leaned up and pecked his lips. He kissed me back and after a second, we broke and he left. He got in his car and drove away. I swallowed and touched my warm cheeks. My decision had been made...

Breaking up with someone is always really difficult. I didn't leave Masaya immediately after I promised Ryou. I stayed my extra week with my Aunt then went home. I made the breaking up process slow for Masaya and slow for me. I ended the handholding, the kissing, the sweet nothings, and defiantly the "I love you" sayings. He didn't seem to understand at first as I deprived him from all the relationship rituals but slowly he caught on and started to question me why.

I told him why, honestly. That I was unhappy and things weren't working out and all that other good stuff that enders must say at the ending of the relationship. By the time the actually break up took place, I was hitting the ending of the second semester of my senior year.

Since I took things so slow in the process, Masaya didn't feel the need to go running around and asking why and what he did wrong and making constant phone calls to make things better with me. He knew we were done and I think in the end, he was happy too.

I graduated like everyone else and stayed friends with Masaya. As selfish as it was, I still wanted to have Masaya around. Pudding was right about a lot of things, he was always there for me. How could I get rid of that? He was like a best friend that I didn't want to get rid of.

He moved on that summer, taking an interest in another best friend of mine. Mint. As gross as it was, I was glad that he found someone else and thankful that he could make my girl best friend, happy. I wished them good luck constantly and that was where pretty much everything ended.

"So, are you sure you're ready to do this?" my dad asked me that summer morning.

"Dad," I groaned, "you do this every time. Of course I'm ready. It's not going to be that hard."

"Oh yes it is," my mother scolded me, "I moved in with your father at a young age and look what happened to us." She gave a tense look then laughed and I shook my head, rolling my eyes.

"You guy's are dorks." I grinned, "And he's just a boyfriend. My college is not that far down from his house. I'm even paying rent so don't get all funky on me."

My dad and mom sighed in unison and I felt a cool hand on my shoulder all of a sudden.

"Don't worry miss and mister Momomiya, I'll take good care of your daughter." I heard Ryou say from behind me. I smiled and touched his hand on my shoulder.

My dad scowled but my mom stopped him from saying anything.

"Thank you Ryou. We better hear from you everyday young lady." My mom smiled at me and I smiled back. I did the ritual of good byes, hugs, kisses, and how much I'll miss everyone.

I turned to Ryou and said, "I get to drive."

"What?" he exclaimed, "You can't even drive and talk on the phone at the same, what makes you think you're driving _my_ car down to _my _house?"

"Because _my _car is at _your _house. Deal with it. I'm driving." I laughed and ran up to the drivers seat.

"Besides, your driving sucks." I teased as I jumped in. I heard Ryou mumble something but he just got in the passengers side without much of a fight. I hoped that that would be our future one-day, just to make everything seem and feel so right.

…_The End…

* * *

_A/N: oh my goodness! I have never written something so long in my entire life. I think like all my chapters to my envious ways equaled up this whole story. It took me freaking forever to write this sucker. I apologize if it was kind of runon-ish. But it is my last romance for now or until I can think of a new idea. I want to thank my friend for sort of giving me the idea. Without her, I wouldn't have had a way to start this guy! XD thanks everyone for the support. I hope to hear more from everyone. Till my next story/chapter-KTHM 


End file.
